Dynamically allocating control channel resources

ABSTRACT

Responsive to determining that a current channel condition of a communication channel improves from an initial channel condition, scheduling data information in a control transmission portion of the communication channel, and responsive to determining that the current channel condition of the communication channel degrades, scheduling control information in the control transmission portion of the communication channel. The scheduling of the data information and the control information is indicated to the wireless device via a reserve bit transmitted on a resource element, versus RRC signaling.

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/561,411, filed on Sep. 5, 2019, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

A heterogeneous network can be configured to include various types ofaccess nodes that are configured to deploy radio air interfaces ofdifferent types, such as 4G long-term evolution (LTE), 5G new radio(NR), and so on. Generally, radio air interfaces include physicalresources, such as physical resource blocks, that are divided orassigned in both the time domain and the frequency domain. For example,a resource grid of time resources and frequency resources may becomprised of resource elements. Further, a portion of physical resourcesof a radio air interface may be allocated towards control transmissions,and another portion of physical resources may be allocated towards datatransmissions. Briefly, the control transmissions comprise informationexchange between access nodes and wireless devices that enable actualtransmission of data packets between the access nodes and the wirelessdevices. For example, control transmissions may be used to set up avoice data session, while data transmissions comprise the actual voicedata packets. There are many other applications of control transmissionsknown to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as identifyingresource allocation, signaling bearer information, etc.

Whereas in 4G networks, a dedicated control channel is assigned towardscontrol transmissions and is separated from a different dedicated datachannel in the time and/or frequency domain, 5G networks provide fordiscrete allocations of time/frequency resources known as controlchannel elements (CCEs). For example, based on channel conditions at thetime a connection is being set up between an access node and a wirelessdevice (e.g. during an attach procedure), a control channel element set(CORESET) is assigned to the wireless device, and radio resource control(RRC) signaling is used to communicate the CORESET to the wirelessdevice, such that the wireless device is aware that certain CCEs containcontrol information. If channel conditions during attach are poor, moreCCEs may be assigned in the CORESET. For example, 1, 2, 4, or 8 CCEs canbe assigned to a wireless device depending on a signal to interferenceplus noise ratio (SINR), a channel quality indicator (CQI), or any otherchannel condition metric measured during the attach procedure.

However, once the CORESET has been assigned, the current state of theart does not enable changing the number of CCEs assigned when channelconditions change during a communication session. In other words, theonly means for changing the CORESET is by additional (or new) RRCsignaling. Since RRC signaling occurs less frequently (e.g. during theattach procedure), there may be instances where a current channelcondition changes from an initial signal condition, and more or lessCCEs are needed. In particular, if channel conditions improve from theinitial signal condition, fewer CCEs are needed, but the resourcesoccupied by the CCEs are unavailable for data transmission. Thus,resources are wasted that could otherwise be used by a data channel.Various other problems related to an inability to dynamically reallocateCCEs may be envisioned by those having ordinary skill in the art andsolved by the present disclosure as provided below.

Overview

Exemplary embodiments described herein include methods, systems, andprocessing nodes for dynamically allocating control channel resourcesduring a communication session, subsequent to an initial allocation ofcontrol channel resources during, for example, an attach procedure. Anexemplary method for dynamically allocating control channel resourcesincludes determining that a channel condition of a communication channelbetween a wireless device and an access node meets a criteria, whereinthe communication channel comprises a control transmission portion and adata transmission portion, responsive to determining that the channelcondition meets the criteria, scheduling data transmissions in thecontrol transmission portion of the communication channel, and notifyingthe wireless device that data transmissions are scheduled in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel.

An exemplary system for dynamically allocating control channel resourcesincludes a processing node and a processor coupled to the processingnode. The processor may be configured to perform operations includingmonitoring a channel condition of a communication channel between awireless device and an access node, wherein the communication channelcomprises a control transmission portion and a data transmissionportion, and a plurality of resources are allocated towards the controltransmission portion based on an initial channel condition of thecommunication channel, responsive to determining that a current channelcondition improves from the initial channel condition, scheduling datainformation in the control transmission portion of the communicationchannel, and transmitting an indicator to the wireless device, theindicator for enabling the wireless device to receive the datainformation scheduled in the control transmission portion of thecommunication channel.

An exemplary processing node for dynamically allocating control channelresources is configured to perform operations including: responsive todetermining that a current channel condition of a communication channelbetween a wireless device and an access node improves from an initialchannel condition, scheduling data information in a control transmissionportion of the communication channel, and responsive to determining thatthe current channel condition of the communication channel degrades,scheduling control information in the control transmission portion ofthe communication channel, wherein the scheduling of the datainformation and the control information in the portion of resources isindicated to the wireless device via a reserve bit transmitted on aresource element during a communication session utilizing thecommunication channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary processing node for dynamicallyallocating control channel resources.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary access node for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary method for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate exemplary allocations of control channelresources.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate exemplary allocations of control channelresources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments illustrate methods, systems, and processingnodes for dynamically allocating control channel resources during acommunication session, subsequent to an initial allocation of controlchannel resources during, for example, an attach procedure. For example,if four CCEs are assigned to a wireless device based on initial channelconditions during the attach procedure, and if current channelconditions improve from the initial channel conditions, then a portionof the four CCEs may be made available for use for data transmissions,such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). For example, ifchannel conditions improve during a communication session, as evidencedby a report from the wireless device (e.g. via beamforming feedback,CQI, PMI, etc.), then two of the four CCEs may be made available fordata transmissions, thereby improving the utilization of the otherwiseunused resources.

While the access node itself is able to transmit data information inCCEs responsive to channel conditions changing as described above, thewireless device is also notified to look for the data information inthese CCEs. The identification of the extra CCEs towards datatransmissions may be enabled by transmitting (or changing) a specificbit in a control transmission between the access node and the wirelessdevice during the communication session. For example, downlink controlinformation (DCI) messages are regularly transmitted from the accessnode to wireless devices connected thereto during a communicationsession. Some DCI messages contain reserve bits, of which a defaultvalue may be zero. Thus, a reserve bit may be specified as indicating achange in the reallocation of CCEs, and the reserve bit may be changedfrom 0 to 1 to indicate that a portion of the CCEs are available fordata transmission. Thus, upon receiving the reserve bit, the wirelessdevice is notified to look for data transmissions in the CCEs that areavailable for data transmission.

In further exemplary embodiments described herein, the value of thereserve bit may indicate what portion of the CCEs are available for datatransmission. For example, as described above, changing the value from 0to 1 can indicate that half the CCEs original allocated (i.e. 2 out of 4CCEs) are now available for data transmissions. Whereas, if the value ofthe reserve bit is 2, this can indicate that less than half or more thanhalf the CCEs originally allocated (i.e. 3 out of 4 CCEs, or 1 out of 4CCEs) are now available for data transmission. Persons having ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that these values and relationshipswith amounts of CCEs are merely exemplary, and other combinations ofvalues and CCE amounts are possible. Further, the selection of valueand, consequently, quantity or percentage of CCEs available for datatransmission, can be based on the current channel conditions. Forexample, if channel conditions improve from original channel conditionsby a first amount, then half the CCEs can be used for data transmission,while if channel conditions improve from original channel conditions bya smaller amount, a smaller fraction of CCEs can be used for datatransmissions. The bit selection can also be based on the initialCORESET allocation, or any combination of the initial CORESET allocationand the current channel conditions. Further, responsive to determiningthat the current channel condition of the communication channeldegrades, the CCEs may be re-allocated towards control transmissions. Inexemplary embodiments, the reserve bit may be changed back to 0, or anydefault value that indicates to the wireless device that allinitially-assigned CCEs (i.e., the CORESET) are allocated for controltransmissions.

In addition to the methods described herein, these operations may beperformed by an exemplary system described herein as well as by aprocessing node communicatively coupled to any other network node withinthe wireless network, such as an access node or a controller node. Theseand other embodiments are further described herein and with reference toFIGS. 1-7 .

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system 100 for selecting a subcarrierspacing in a wireless network. System 100 comprises a communicationnetwork 101, gateway 102, controller node 104, access node 110, andwireless devices 120 and 130. Access node may include an access node ofany type, including macrocell access nodes such as Long-Term-Evolution(LTE) eNodeBs or 5G New Radio (NR) gNodeBs, mini access nodes, homeeNodeBs or gNodeBs, etc., and may include a plurality of antennaelements arranged in one or more arrays, wherein each antenna array isconfigured to steer or form one or more beams over a geographicalregion, such as a sector. Wireless devices 120 and 130 are locatedwithin range of access node 110 and access network services from accessnode 110, respectively via communication channels 125, 135. Further, aprocessing node communicatively coupled to any network node withinsystem 100 (such as, for example, access node 110 or controller node104) can be configured to determine that a channel condition of acommunication channel, such as communication channel 125 betweenwireless device 120 and access node 110 meets a criteria. Thecommunication channel comprises a plurality of resource blocks that aredivided between a control transmission portion and a data transmissionportion. Further, the channel condition can include a SINR, beamformingfeedback, CQI/PMI etc., such that the channel condition criteria caninclude a threshold SINR, and so on.

Responsive to determining that the channel condition meets the criteria,access node 110 is configured to schedule data transmissions in thecontrol transmission portion of the communication channel 125. Further,the wireless device 120 is notified that data transmissions arescheduled in the control transmission portion of the communicationchannel 125. In an exemplary embodiment, notifying the wireless device120 further comprises transmitting an indicator to the wireless device120, wherein the indicator is set to a first value that indicates thatthe access node 110 has scheduled data transmissions in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel 125. For example, theindicator can include a reserve bit in a control information message,such as a reserve bit in a DCI message as used in 4G and 5G wirelessnetworks. Access node 110 is configured to transmit the indicator to thewireless device 120 during an active session on the communicationchannel 125. In other words, the DCI reserve bit may be changed during acommunication session, responsive to changes in channel conditions ofchannel 125. This is advantageous to the prior art, wherein the only wayto change a control channel allocation (such as CORESET in 5G)necessitates additional RRC signaling.

In an exemplary embodiment, scheduling data transmissions in the controltransmission portion comprises scheduling data transmissions within afraction of resources in the control transmission portion of channel125. Thus, a value of the reserve bit may be selected based on thefraction, and/or may be used to indicate the fraction to the wirelessdevice 120. In an exemplary embodiment, the fraction comprises one half.In other words, if 4 CCEs are allocated towards control transmissions, 2CCEs can be used for data transmissions. An initial size of the controltransmission portion (i.e. CORESET in 5G) can be based on an initialchannel condition of the communication channel 125. For example, whenwireless device 120 initiates an attach procedure with access node 110,it reports certain signal conditions (based on, for example, receipt ofa reference signal from access node 110). Those measurements reported bythe wireless device comprise initial channel conditions, which are usedby access node 110 (or a processing node coupled thereto) to allocatethe initial amount of CCEs for wireless device 120. Subsequently, basedon current channel conditions reported in an ongoing manner as describedherein, the reserve bit is changed to whatever fraction is associatedwith the reserve bit. Thus, the fraction (and choice of reserve bit) canbe based on one or both of the initial size and the channel condition,such that different fractions or portions of the initially-assigned CCEscan be used for different initial allocations and as channel conditionsvary, said channel conditions being monitored by access node 110 (orprocessing node coupled thereto). For example, as the current channelcondition of channel 125 returns closer towards the initial channelcondition, the portion of CCEs may be re-allocated towards controltransmissions, such that access node 110 can schedule controlinformation in the CCEs. Further, a second indicator can be transmittedto the wireless device 120 for enabling the wireless device 120 toreceive the control information scheduled in the CCEs. In an exemplaryembodiment the second indicator returns the reserve bit to a defaultvalue, responsive to which all initially-assigned CCEs (e.g. viaCORESET) are used for control transmissions. In another exemplaryembodiment, the second indicator provides a different value in thereserve bit, the different value indicating that a smaller portion ofCCEs is available for data transmissions. Thus, whereas the initialnumber/amount of CCEs is communicated to the wireless device via a radioresource message (such as RRC and CORESET in 5G), the reserve bit can betransmitted in any DCI message depending on the implementation of system100. The reserve bit is transmitted mid-session or at any timeindependent of RRC signalizing, such that it is received by wirelessdevice 120 to identify the data transmissions scheduled in the portionof the CCEs.

Access node 110 can be any network node configured to providecommunication between wireless devices 120, 130 and communicationnetwork 101, including standard access nodes and/or short range, lowpower, small access nodes. For instance, access node 110 may include anystandard access node, such as a macrocell access node, base transceiverstation, a radio base station, next generation or gigabit NodeBs (gNBs)in 5G networks, or enhanced eNodeBs (eNBs) in 4G/LTE networks, or thelike. In an exemplary embodiment, a macrocell access node can have acoverage area in the range of approximately five kilometers to thirtyfive kilometers and an output power in the tens of watts. In otherembodiments, access node 110 can be a small access node including amicrocell access node, a picocell access node, a femtocell access node,or the like such as a home NodeB or a home eNodeB device. Moreover, itis noted that while access node 110 is illustrated in FIG. 1 , anynumber of access nodes can be implemented within system 100.

Access node 110 can comprise processors and associated circuitry toexecute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions toperform operations such as those further described herein. Briefly,access node 110 can retrieve and execute software from storage, whichcan include a disk drive, a flash drive, memory circuitry, or some othermemory device, and which can be local or remotely accessible. Thesoftware comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other form ofmachine-readable instructions, and may include an operating system,utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other typeof software, including combinations thereof. Further, access node 110can receive instructions and other input at a user interface. Accessnode 110 communicate with gateway node 102 and controller node 104 viacommunication links 106, 107. Access node 110 may communicate with otheraccess nodes (not shown) using a direct link such as an X2 link orsimilar.

Wireless devices 120, 130 may be any device, system, combination ofdevices, or other such communication platform capable of communicatingwirelessly with access node 110 using one or more frequency bandsdeployed therefrom. Wireless devices 120, 130 may be, for example, amobile phone, a wireless phone, a wireless modem, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone, a voiceover packet (VOP) phone, or a soft phone, as well as other types ofdevices or systems that can exchange audio or data via access node 110.Other types of communication platforms are possible.

Communication network 101 can be a wired and/or wireless communicationnetwork, and can comprise processing nodes, routers, gateways, andphysical and/or wireless data links for carrying data among variousnetwork elements, including combinations thereof, and can include alocal area network a wide area network, and an internetwork (includingthe Internet). Communication network 101 can be capable of carryingdata, for example, to support voice, push-to-talk, broadcast video, anddata communications by wireless devices 120, 130. Wireless networkprotocols can comprise MBMS, code division multiple access (CDMA) 1×RTT,Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA),Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), EV-DO rev. A, Third GenerationPartnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Fourth Generationbroadband cellular (4G, LTE Advanced, etc.), and Fifth Generation mobilenetworks or wireless systems (5G, 5G New Radio (“5G NR”), or 5G LTE).Wired network protocols that may be utilized by communication network101 comprise Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Local Talk (suchas Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance), Token Ring,Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM). Communication network 101 can also comprise additional basestations, controller nodes, telephony switches, internet routers,network gateways, computer systems, communication links, or some othertype of communication equipment, and combinations thereof.

Communication links 106, 107 can use various communication media, suchas air, space, metal, optical fiber, or some other signal propagationpath—including combinations thereof. Communication links 106, 107 can bewired or wireless and use various communication protocols such asInternet, Internet protocol (IP), local-area network (LAN), opticalnetworking, hybrid fiber coax (HFC), telephony, T1, or some othercommunication format—including combinations, improvements, or variationsthereof. Wireless communication links can be a radio frequency,microwave, infrared, or other similar signal, and can use a suitablecommunication protocol, for example, Global System for Mobiletelecommunications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long TermEvolution (LTE), 5G NR, or combinations thereof. Communication links106, 107 may include S1 communication links. Other wireless protocolscan also be used. Communication links 106, 107 can be a direct link ormight include various equipment, intermediate components, systems, andnetworks. Communication links 106, 107 may comprise many differentsignals sharing the same link.

Gateway node 102 can be any network node configured to interface withother network nodes using various protocols. Gateway node 102 cancommunicate user data over system 100. Gateway node 102 can be astandalone computing device, computing system, or network component, andcan be accessible, for example, by a wired or wireless connection, orthrough an indirect connection such as through a computer network orcommunication network. For example, gateway node 102 can include aserving gateway (SGW) and/or a public data network gateway (PGW), etc.One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that gateway node 102is not limited to any specific technology architecture, such as LongTerm Evolution (LTE) or 5G NR, and can be used with any networkarchitecture and/or protocol.

Gateway node 102 can comprise a processor and associated circuitry toexecute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions toobtain information. Gateway node 102 can retrieve and execute softwarefrom storage, which can include a disk drive, a flash drive, memorycircuitry, or some other memory device, and which can be local orremotely accessible. The software comprises computer programs, firmware,or some other form of machine-readable instructions, and may include anoperating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications,or some other type of software, including combinations thereof. Gatewaynode 102 can receive instructions and other input at a user interface.

Controller node 104 can be any network node configured to communicateinformation and/or control information over system 100. Controller node104 can be configured to transmit control information associated with ahandover procedure. Controller node 104 can be a standalone computingdevice, computing system, or network component, and can be accessible,for example, by a wired or wireless connection, or through an indirectconnection such as through a computer network or communication network.For example, controller node 104 can include a mobility managemententity (MME), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Policy Control andCharging Rules Function (PCRF), an authentication, authorization, andaccounting (AAA) node, a rights management server (RMS), a subscriberprovisioning server (SPS), a policy server, etc. One of ordinary skillin the art would recognize that controller node 104 is not limited toany specific technology architecture, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE)or 5G NR, and can be used with any network architecture and/or protocol.

Controller node 104 can comprise a processor and associated circuitry toexecute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions toobtain information. Controller node 104 can retrieve and executesoftware from storage, which can include a disk drive, a flash drive,memory circuitry, or some other memory device, and which can be local orremotely accessible. In an exemplary embodiment, controller node 104includes a database 105 for storing information, such as channelconditions of channels 125, 135, CORESET allocations associated withaccess node 110, and so on. This information may be requested by orshared with access node 110 via communication links 106, 107, X2connections, and so on. The software comprises computer programs,firmware, or some other form of machine-readable instructions, and mayinclude an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces,applications, or some other type of software, and combinations thereof.Controller node 104 can receive instructions and other input at a userinterface.

Other network elements may be present in system 100 to facilitatecommunication but are omitted for clarity, such as base stations, basestation controllers, mobile switching centers, dispatch applicationprocessors, and location registers such as a home location register orvisitor location register. Furthermore, other network elements that areomitted for clarity may be present to facilitate communication, such asadditional processing nodes, routers, gateways, and physical and/orwireless data links for carrying data among the various networkelements, e.g. between access node 110 and communication network 101.

The methods, systems, devices, networks, access nodes, and equipmentdescribed herein may be implemented with, contain, or be executed by oneor more computer systems and/or processing nodes. The methods describedabove may also be stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium.Many of the elements of communication system 100 may be, comprise, orinclude computers systems and/or processing nodes, including accessnodes, controller nodes, and gateway nodes described herein.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary processing node 200 for dynamicallyallocating control channel resources. Processing node comprises acommunication interface 202, user interface 204, and processing system206 in communication with communication interface 202 and user interface204. Processing system 206 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 208,and a memory 210, which can comprise a disk drive, flash drive, memorycircuitry, or other memory device. Memory 210 can store computerprograms, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable instructions,including an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces,applications, or some other type of software. Further, memory 210 canstore software 212, which may be executed to perform the operationsdescribed herein. Processing system 206 may include other circuitry toretrieve and execute software 212 from memory 210. Processing node 200may further include other components such as a power management unit, acontrol interface unit, etc., which are omitted for clarity.Communication interface 202 permits processing node 200 to communicatewith other network elements. User interface 204 permits theconfiguration and control of the operation of processing node 200.

In an exemplary embodiment, software 212 includes instructions thatenable processing node 200 to perform operations including schedulingdata information in a control transmission portion of the communicationchannel between a wireless device and an access node responsive todetermining that a current channel condition of the communicationchannel improves from an initial channel condition, and schedulingcontrol information in the control transmission portion of thecommunication channel responsive to determining that the current channelcondition of the communication channel degrades. The scheduling of thedata information and the control information in the portion of resourcesis indicated to the wireless device via a reserve bit transmitted on aresource element during a communication session utilizing thecommunication channel. The operations further comprise determining theinitial channel condition during an initial attach procedure, theinitial attach procedure further comprising determining an initial sizeof the control transmission portion, and identifying the initial size tothe wireless device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and thecommunication session is initialized subsequent to the RRC signaling.The reserve bit can be set from a default value to a first value whenthe data information is scheduled in the control transmission portion.The first value varies based on an amount of resources in which the datainformation is scheduled. The reserve bit can be set from the firstvalue to the default value when the control information is scheduled inthe control transmission portion.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary access node 310 for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources. Access node 310 may be configured as anaccess point for providing network services from network 301 to end-userwireless devices via a radio-air interface deployed therefrom. Accessnode 310 is illustrated as comprising a processor 312, a memory 313 (forstoring instructions that are performed by processor 312), a transceiver314, and antennae 315 for deploying a radio air interface over one ormore wireless sectors. One pair of transceivers and antennae areillustrated herein solely to simplify the written description, and itmay be evident to those having ordinary skill in the art, that anycombination of transceivers and antennae may be incorporated in order todeploy different sectors that are configured with different subcarrierspacings, as well as formed beams, MU-MIMO data streams, and/or tofacilitate communication with other network nodes on network 301.Further, access node 310 is communicatively coupled to network 301 viacommunication interface 306, which may be any wired or wireless link asdescribed above.

In an exemplary embodiment, memory 313 includes instructions that enableaccess node 310 to perform operations including determining that achannel condition of a communication channel between a wireless deviceand access node 310 meets a criteria, wherein the communication channelcomprises a control transmission portion and a data transmissionportion, responsive to determining that the channel condition meets thecriteria, scheduling data transmissions in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel, and notifying the wireless devicethat data transmissions are scheduled in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel. In another exemplary embodiment,memory 313 includes instructions for monitoring a channel condition of acommunication channel between a wireless device and access node 310,wherein the communication channel comprises a control transmissionportion and a data transmission portion, and a plurality of resourcesare allocated towards the control transmission portion based on aninitial channel condition of the communication channel, responsive todetermining that a current channel condition improves from the initialchannel condition, scheduling data information in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel, and transmitting anindicator to the wireless device, the indicator for enabling thewireless device to receive the data information scheduled in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel. In yet anotherexemplary embodiment, memory 313 includes instructions for schedulingdata information in a control transmission portion of the communicationchannel between a wireless device and access node 310 responsive todetermining that a current channel condition of the communicationchannel improves from an initial channel condition, and schedulingcontrol information in the control transmission portion of thecommunication channel responsive to determining that the current channelcondition of the communication channel degrades. The scheduling of thedata information and the control information in the portion of resourcesis indicated to the wireless device via a reserve bit transmitted on aresource element during a communication session utilizing thecommunication channel.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for selecting a subcarrierspacing in a wireless network. The method will be discussed withreference to the exemplary communication system 100 illustrated in FIG.1 . However, the method can be implemented with any suitablecommunication system. In addition, although FIG. 4 depicts stepsperformed in a particular order for purposes of illustration anddiscussion, the methods discussed herein are not limited to anyparticular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art, using thedisclosures provided herein, will appreciate that various steps of themethods can be omitted, rearranged, combined, and/or adapted in variousways.

At 410, it is determined that a channel condition improves during acommunication session. The channel condition may be that of acommunication channel between a wireless device and an access node. Thecommunication channel comprises a plurality of resource blocks that aredivided between a control transmission portion and a data transmissionportion. Further, the channel condition can include a SINR, beamformingfeedback, CQI/PMI etc., such that the channel condition criteria caninclude a threshold SINR, and so on.

At 420, responsive to determining that the channel condition meets thecriteria, the access node is configured to schedule data transmissionsin the control transmission portion of the communication channel.Further, at 430, the wireless device is notified that data transmissionsare scheduled in the control transmission portion of the communicationchannel. In an exemplary embodiment, notifying the wireless devicefurther comprises transmitting an indicator to the wireless device,wherein the indicator is set to a first value that indicates that theaccess node has scheduled data transmissions in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel. For example, the indicator caninclude a reserve bit in a control information message, such as areserve bit in a DCI message as used in 4G and 5G wireless networks. Theaccess node is configured to transmit the indicator to the wirelessdevice during an active session on the communication channel. In otherwords, the DCI reserve bit may be changed during a communicationsession, responsive to changes in channel conditions of the channeldetermined at 410. This is advantageous to the prior art, wherein theonly way to change a control channel allocation (such as CORESET in 5G)necessitates additional RRC signaling.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary method for dynamically allocatingcontrol channel resources. The method will be discussed with referenceto the exemplary communication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 .However, the method can be implemented with any suitable communicationsystem. In addition, although FIG. 5 depicts steps performed in aparticular order for purposes of illustration and discussion, themethods discussed herein are not limited to any particular order orarrangement. One skilled in the art, using the disclosures providedherein, will appreciate that various steps of the methods can beomitted, rearranged, combined, and/or adapted in various ways.

At 510, an initial size is set for control transmissions in a controltransmission portion, based on an initial channel condition. Forexample, a communication channel between a wireless device and an accessnode comprises a plurality of resource blocks that are divided between acontrol transmission portion and a data transmission portion. An initialsize of the control transmission portion (i.e. CORESET in 5G) can bebased on an initial channel condition of the communication channel. Whena wireless device initiates an attach procedure with the access node, itreports certain signal conditions (based on, for example, receipt of areference signal from the access node). Those measurements reported bythe wireless device comprise initial channel conditions, which are usedby the access node (or a processing node coupled thereto) to allocatethe initial amount of CCEs for the wireless device.

At 520 and 530, a current channel condition is monitored and comparedwith a criteria. The current channel condition can include a SINR,beamforming feedback, CQI/PMI etc., and the criteria can include athreshold of any of these values. Notably, the current channel conditionmay comprise any metric of channel conditions that can be different fromthe initial channel condition from step 510, particularly since thecurrent channel condition may be associated with an ongoingcommunication session, while the initial channel condition may have beenrelated to an attach procedure. In either case, if at 530 it isdetermined that the channel condition meets the criteria (i.e. improvesto meet a threshold value of SINR, etc.), then at 540 data transmissionsare enabled in the control transmission portion of the control channel,and the wireless device is notified of the same. In other words, at 540,the access node is configured to schedule data transmissions in thecontrol transmission portion of the communication channel, and notifythe wireless device that data transmissions are scheduled in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel, using for example anindicator in a reserve bit of a DCI message, wherein the indicator isset to a first value that indicates that the access node has scheduleddata transmissions in the control transmission portion of thecommunication channel. Alternatively or on addition, if at 530 it isdetermined that the channel condition does not meet the criteria (i.e.degrades, or remains close to the initial channel condition), then at550 data transmissions are disabled in the control transmission portionof the control channel, and the control transmission portion (e. CCEs)are allocated for control transmissions. Further, the wireless device isnotified that control transmissions are scheduled in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel, using for example anindicator in a reserve bit of a DCI message, wherein the indicator isset to a second value that indicates that the access node has scheduledcontrol transmissions in the control transmission portion of thecommunication channel.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate exemplary allocations of control channelresources. Access node 610 may include an access node of any type,including macrocell access nodes such as Long-Term-Evolution (LTE)eNodeBs or 5G New Radio (NR) gNodeBs, mini access nodes, home eNodeBs orgNodeBs, etc., and may include a plurality of antenna elements arrangedin one or more arrays, wherein each antenna array is configured to steeror form one or more beams over a geographical region, such as a sector.Wireless device 620 is located within range of access node 610 andaccesses network services from access node 610, respectively viacommunication channel 625. Communication channel 625 comprises aplurality of resource blocks 640 that are divided between a controltransmission portion (CCEs) and a data transmission portion. Further, aprocessing node communicatively coupled to access node 610 can beconfigured to perform the operations described herein. For example, withreference to FIG. 6A, wireless device 620 may report initial channelconditions (i.e. channel conditions at the time a connection is beingset up between access node 610 and wireless device 620 during, forexample, an attach procedure). Based on the initial channel conditions,a quantity of CCEs (i.e. CCE1 and CCE2) are assigned to the wirelessdevice 620, and radio resource control (RRC) signaling is used tocommunicate this allocation to the wireless device 620, such that thewireless device 620 is able to access the control information withinCCE1 and CCE2.

With reference to FIG. 6B, during a communication session, a currentchannel condition of channel 625 may change. For example, the channelcondition may meet a threshold, wherein meeting the threshold indicatesthat channel conditions have improved from the initial channelconditions. The channel condition can include a SINR, beamformingfeedback, CQI/PMI etc. reported from wireless device 620 during acommunication session, and the channel condition criteria can include athreshold of any of these values. Thus, responsive to determining thatthe channel condition meets the criteria, access node 610 is configuredto schedule data transmissions in one or more CCEs. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 6B, CCE2 is now allocated for data transmissions.Further, the wireless device 620 is notified that data transmissions arescheduled in the control transmission portion CCE2 via a reserve bit setto a first value (i.e. 1) that indicates that the access node 610 hasscheduled data transmissions in the control transmission portion CCE2 ofthe resources 640.

Further, with reference to FIG. 6C, the current channel condition ofchannel 625 may degrade back towards the initial channel condition (ormay generally worsen). The degradation may be determined by wirelessdevice 620 reporting channel conditions worse than the threshold.Responsive to determining the degraded channel condition, access node610 is configured to utilize all control transmissions portions (i.e.CCE1 and CCE2) to transmit control information. Further, the reserve bitmay be changed back to 0 and communicated to the wireless device 620 ina DCI message, enabling wireless device 620 to retrieve controlinformation from CCE1 and CCE2. Thus, based on current channelconditions reported in an ongoing manner as described herein, andtransmitting the indicator in a DCI reserve bit, control channelresources can be allocated dynamically during a communication session.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate exemplary allocations of control channelresources. Access node 710 may include an access node of any type,including macrocell access nodes such as Long-Term-Evolution (LTE)eNodeBs or 5G New Radio (NR) gNodeBs, mini access nodes, home eNodeBs orgNodeBs, etc., and may include a plurality of antenna elements arrangedin one or more arrays, wherein each antenna array is configured to steeror form one or more beams over a geographical region, such as a sector.Wireless device 720 is located within range of access node 710 andaccesses network services from access node 710, respectively viacommunication channel 725. Communication channel 725 comprises aplurality of resource blocks 740 that are divided between a controltransmission portion (CCEs) and a data transmission portion. Further, aprocessing node communicatively coupled to access node 710 can beconfigured to perform the operations described herein. For example, withreference to FIG. 7A, wireless device 720 may report initial channelconditions (i.e. channel conditions at the time a connection is beingset up between access node 710 and wireless device 720 during, forexample, an attach procedure). Based on the initial channel conditions,a quantity of CCEs (i.e. CCE1, CCE2, CCE3, and CCE4) are assigned to thewireless device 720, and radio resource control (RRC) signaling is usedto communicate this allocation to the wireless device 720, such that thewireless device 720 is able to access the control information withinCCE1-CCE4. In an exemplary embodiment, this is contrasted with FIG. 6A,wherein channel conditions here may necessitate more CCEs.

With reference to FIG. 7B, during a communication session, a currentchannel condition of channel 725 may change. For example, the channelcondition may meet a threshold, wherein meeting the threshold indicatesthat channel conditions have improved from the initial channelconditions. The channel condition can include a SINR, beamformingfeedback, CQI/PMI etc. reported from wireless device 720 during acommunication session, and the channel condition criteria can include athreshold of any of these values. Thus, responsive to determining thatthe channel condition meets the criteria, access node 710 is configuredto schedule data transmissions in one or more CCEs. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 7B, CCE3 and CCE4 are now allocated for datatransmissions. Further, the wireless device 720 is notified that datatransmissions are scheduled in the control transmission portions CCE3and CCE4 via a reserve bit set to a first value (i.e. 1) that indicatesthat the access node 710 has scheduled data transmissions in thespecified control transmission portions of the resources 740.

Further, with reference to FIG. 7C, the current channel condition ofchannel 725 may degrade to a level that is not the same as the initialchannel condition, but worse than the channel condition of FIG. 7B. Thedegradation may be determined by wireless device 720 reporting channelconditions worse than a second threshold. Responsive to determining thedegraded channel condition, access node 710 is configured to utilizemore control transmissions portions (i.e. CCE1-CCE3) to transmit controlinformation and a smaller portion (i.e. CCE4) to transmit datainformation. Thus, the reserve bit may be changed to a third value (i.e.2) and communicated to the wireless device 720 in a DCI message,enabling wireless device 720 to retrieve data information only fromCCE4. Thus, the amount of CCEs (and choice of reserve bit) can be basedon one or both of the initial size and the channel condition, such thatdifferent fractions or portions of the initially-assigned CCEs can beused for different initial allocations and as channel conditions vary,said channel conditions being monitored by access node 710 (orprocessing node coupled thereto). Whereas the initial number/amount ofCCEs is communicated to the wireless device via a radio resource message(such as RRC and CORESET in 5G), the reserve bit can be transmitted inany DCI message. The reserve bit is transmitted mid-session or at anytime independent of RRC signalizing, such that it is received bywireless device 720 to identify the data transmissions scheduled in theportion of the CCEs.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein can be performedunder the control of a processing system executing computer-readablecodes embodied on a computer-readable recording medium or communicationsignals transmitted through a transitory medium. The computer-readablerecording medium is any data storage device that can store data readableby a processing system, and includes both volatile and nonvolatilemedia, removable and non-removable media, and contemplates mediareadable by a database, a computer, and various other network devices.

Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include, but are notlimited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), erasableelectrically programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, holographic media or other optical disc storage, magneticstorage including magnetic tape and magnetic disk, and solid statestorage devices. The computer-readable recording medium can also bedistributed over network-coupled computer systems so that thecomputer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.The communication signals transmitted through a transitory medium mayinclude, for example, modulated signals transmitted through wired orwireless transmission paths.

The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of theinvention. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Notethat some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of theinvention as specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the features described above can be combined in variousways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above,but only by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for dynamically allocating controlchannel resources, the method comprising: determining that a channelcondition of a communication channel between a wireless device and anaccess node meets a criteria, wherein the communication channelcomprises a control transmission portion and a data transmissionportion; responsive to determining that the channel condition meets thecriteria, scheduling data transmissions in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel; and notifying the wireless devicethat data transmissions are scheduled in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:notifying the wireless device further comprises transmitting anindicator to the wireless device, and the indicator is set to a firstvalue that indicates that the access node has scheduled datatransmissions in the control transmission portion of the communicationchannel.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator comprises areserve bit in a control information message.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein the indicator is transmitted from the access node to thewireless device during an active session on the communication channel.5. The method of claim 2, wherein scheduling data transmissions in thecontrol transmission portion comprises scheduling data transmissionswithin a fraction of resources in the control transmission portion. 6.The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting the first valuebased on the fraction.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fractioncomprises one half.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining an initial size of the control transmission portion based onan initial channel condition of the communication channel.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein the initial size comprises a quantity of controlchannel elements (CCEs).
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprisingtransmitting the initial size to the wireless device in a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingmonitoring the channel condition to determine whether or not the channelcondition meets the criteria subsequent to transmitting the initial sizeto the wireless device.
 12. A system for dynamically allocating controlchannel resources, the system comprising: a processing node; and aprocessor coupled to the processing node, the processor for enabling theprocessing node to perform operations comprising: monitoring a channelcondition of a communication channel between a wireless device and anaccess node, wherein the communication channel comprises a controltransmission portion and a data transmission portion, and a plurality ofresources are allocated towards the control transmission portion basedon an initial channel condition of the communication channel; responsiveto determining that a current channel condition improves from theinitial channel condition, scheduling data information in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel; and transmitting anindicator to the wireless device, the indicator for enabling thewireless device to receive the data information scheduled in the controltransmission portion of the communication channel.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein: the monitoring of the channel condition is performedduring a communication session utilizing the communication channelsubsequent to an initial attach procedure, and the plurality ofresources are allocated based on the initial channel condition duringthe initial attach procedure.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein theindicator comprises a reserve bit in a control information message thatis transmitted to the wireless device during the communication session.15. The system of claim 12, further comprising: determining that thecurrent channel condition returns closer towards the initial channelcondition; scheduling control information in the control transmissionportion of the communication channel; and transmitting a secondindicator to the wireless device, the second indicator for enabling thewireless device to receive the control information scheduled in thecontrol transmission portion of the communication channel.
 16. Aprocessing node for dynamically allocating control channel resources,the processing node being configured to perform operations comprising:responsive to determining that a current channel condition of acommunication channel between a wireless device and an access nodeimproves from an initial channel condition, scheduling data informationin a control transmission portion of the communication channel; andresponsive to determining that the current channel condition of thecommunication channel degrades, scheduling control information in thecontrol transmission portion of the communication channel, wherein thescheduling of the data information and the control information in thecontrol transmission portion is indicated to the wireless device via areserve bit transmitted on a resource element during a communicationsession utilizing the communication channel.
 17. The processing node ofclaim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: determining theinitial channel condition during an initial attach procedure, theinitial attach procedure further comprising determining an initial sizeof the control transmission portion; and identifying the initial size tothe wireless device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, whereinthe communication session is initialized subsequent to the RRCsignaling.
 18. The processing node of claim 17, further comprisingsetting the reserve bit from a default value to a first value when thedata information is scheduled in the control transmission portion. 19.The processing node of claim 18, wherein the first value varies based onan amount of resources in which the data information is scheduled. 20.The processing node of claim 18, further comprising setting the reservebit from the first value to the default value when the controlinformation is scheduled in the control transmission portion.